Taking to Twitter on Thursday night following the news, Nadiya avoided making any comments about her own name being linked to the show as Mary's replacement, but paid tribute to the two judges who had chosen her as their winner.

Joe Crilly, a spokesperson for William Hill, said: "Mary was a key element of the show almost as much as Mel & Sue and now with just Paul Hollywood and a tent, Channel 4 now look to have bought the biggest White Elephant in TV history and the viewing figures may reflect this."